Chapter 6: Peculiar Patronus
Dudley groaned and arched his back. He had taken in at a bed and breakfast just a mile or so from his home, well ex home he should say. After writing and sending his letter to Harry he had said good bye to the people he thought may miss him and took the bag with the only things he now owned. He had left the town he grew up in behind him, maybe for good who knew.
The train ride towards London had not been kind to his neck though when he had fallen asleep, his muscles were groaning as he stretched to relive some tension.
He was anxious at hearing back from Harry, he really didn´t have a plan B if Harry didn´t want to or could help him he had no idea what to do. Dudley knew it was a big risk to hand his fate over in someone else's hands like that, but what choice did he have?
The compartment door creaked open and a lady was outside the door "do you wish to buy something for the journey mister?" she asked him, with a kind smile and all too knowing eyes which reminded him of his old teacher Ms. Snowden.
He shook his head though, he was a bit hungry but he could not afford to spend his savings on something here.
When he thought about it food was not the first thing he would buy when he had money. He had so many things that he had supressed wanting through the years.
Some would say he had been spoiled through his whole life. Dudley didn´t disagree with them remembering the mountain of presents he had gotten at every birthday growing up.
But the thing was that he had not let anyone know what he wanted so the mountain of presents was not really for him at all, they had been for the son his parents wanted him to be. He had been so afraid that if people knew what he desired they would somehow be one step closer to figure out his secret.
Which of course wasn´t a secret anymore meaning when he had money he could buy the things that he would enjoy that would make him like himself again, if that was possible, well he would at least try.
It wasn´t that he thought of himself as wanting to be a flamboyant kind of gay guy. He was not like Callum, wanting to have all the stereotypically gay things. That didn't mean he wanted to be stereotypically straight either though, even though he wasn´t quite sure what being stereotypically straight might entail. He was sure that the fake Dudley was pretty close to that though, or at least nowhere near in the middle of the 2 stereotypes, where he felt that he would somehow maybe belong.
He and Callum had once sneaked into his mum´s room when she and Vernon had been away on a weekend trip and painted each other's fingernails, it had been fun but Dudley didn´t see himself doing that regularly, it didn´t really fit his personality, not the fake him or the real him.
That was the thing thought the fake him would never have even considered trying that or experiment with typical girly things. The real him wanted to try a lot of things and see just what things was for him and what would make him feel like the person he wanted to be.
It saddened him but supressing himself for so long had made him forget who he really was, he could say who he wasn´t but to pinpoint the things that made Dudley himself just gave him nothing. He knew fake Dudley inside and out he could slip into that character at any given moment. The truth was Dudley didn´t really know himself.
He was a stranger in his own body.
Like for example, what was his favourite colour, what clothes did he want to wear, how would he like having his hair? Dudley had no clue to any of these things, because he had never thought the day would come when he would have the opportunity to do as he wished with his own life.
His mum had always chosen his clothes, and he had been happy about that because that had meant that he would not accidentally choose something that wasn´t fitting for a regular guy and bring unwanted attention. Now though he wanted to feel comfortable in his own skin, he wanted to be stylish but not petite, he wanted to be a man that showed that he was aware of his style but wasn´t a fashionista.
He looked down at himself, he was wearing an old pair of washed out jeans and a black t-shirt with a print of an old popular rock band. Dudley didn´t even like rock even though his parents had always thought so and he had never corrected them because it was easier living a complete lie than only half of one.
His body made him stop musing for a moment, he had to pee. He made his way out of the compartment and down the hall to the closest bathroom.
It had become a habit for him to look into the mirror, and for each time he did he felt more lost then the time before. His mind was now a free spirit but his body was still trapped, looking like the old Dudley, looking like the guy he knew he wasn´t.
He thought of himself as an actor only he was always in character. He would break that someday and finally let his outsides reflect what he felt on the inside, let the world see who he was. It would take time though and he was okay with that, the hardest step had already been made.
Quirking his lips to form a smile made him grimace when he saw the fake smile in the mirror. He didn´t know how it felt to be truly happy and fake Dudley never smiled he smirked. Someday he promised himself he would give a real smile, he would find what or who it was that would make him happy.
When he was just about to pull down his trousers he almost jumped through the roof when something appeared through the wall right over the sink. He made an undignified sound and watched frozen as it jumped around the room in a swirl of a silvery mist circling around Dudley that stood still in astonishment.
Then he remembered he had told Harry to send him a message using this magic mist thing. It was nothing to be afraid of, after all it had saved his soul in the past.
Something was different from his memories though, he remembered Harry´s mist being a big stag and this one was definitely not a stag.
He furrowed his eyebrows as the animal shaped mist finally stopped right in front of Dudley´s half open pants making him blush even though he knew the wizard or witch sending it here couldn´t actually see him.
It was a weasel, a quite majestic looking one full of pride, but still a weasel.
The weasel cocked his head and stood up on its back paws making its head become level with Dudley´s. It almost looked as if the weasel was observing him and evaluated if he was deserving of what it had come here to say.
Dudley looked bemused at the animal as it appeared to raise one of its eyebrows before opening its mouth.
"It´s a pleasure to finally speak to you Dudley, I have heard so many interesting things about you from Harry" the weasel drawled in a voice almost as soft as silk and it made him shudder. Dudley strongly doubted that this boy or maybe man would have heard much nice things about him so the very pleasant greeting was not what he had expected from the stranger.
It wasn´t long before the animal started talking again and Dudley listened intently, this was it, his fate was going to be sealed right here in the bathroom of this train. He unconsciously held his breath "Harry however was unable to provide you with somewhere to stay at the moment, and is sending his outmost sympathies to the outcome of your coming out and the predicament you now find yourself in" Dudley let the air leave his lungs feeling as he might cry so this was it then he was on his own.
"However I have a whole mansion for my disposal and I of the goodness of my heart will happily provide you one of my nicest rooms for you to stay in, as long as you wish." Dudley blinked and looked wide eyed at the weasel. The weasel then chuckled "don´t look so surprised, why else would I be contacting you, hmm?" Maybe the magical boy the weasel represented really could see him, he squirmed uncomfortably.
In a blink of an eye the weasel had moved closer to Dudley and was almost whispering in his ear "I look forward seeing you, meet me in muggle London, well London say in front of the central station at noon tomorrow" he felt something cold brush up against his cheek, the weasel had brushed his face as it like a flash had disappeared through the same wall as it had appeared from minutes before.
Dudley was confused, had the weasel been flirting with him? No that was totally absurd.
Even if Harry couldn´t take him in why hadn´t he even bothered sending his own message?
Most urgently though how would he be able to meet with this stranger? The central station in London was not a small place and at noon it would be crowded. He also had no clue to what the guy even looked like, the only thing he knew was the wizards voice. He shook his head, the only way he would ever find any answers was to be there at the station tomorrow.
LOTB∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞DD∞DM∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞LOTB
Draco was in his study pacing, yes a Malfoy pacing what had the world come to. He was a Slytherin and his plan to lure the bait in was fool proof so why on earth was he feeling dare he say it, nervous about the meeting that would go down in a little under, he checked the time, well half an hour.
He had thought every detail through and a plan that couldn´t fail had formed in his head. It had hurt a little to be overly nice to the muggle cousin of Harry Potter, to pretend that he Draco Malfoy actually cared but it was all a necessity of the situation.
If the boy knew who he was maybe he would even have taken his chances on the street instead of allowing Draco to use him for his own benefit and they couldn´t have that could they. He was not going to abuse the other male though, he was nothing but a gracious host, and he had promised him one of the nicest room in the manor after all.
If he was totally honest he was actually a bit excited to have a visitor again, even if said visitor only was a means to a much happier end. Living in exile for this long was sure to otherwise drive him insane.
He was not pleased about going into the situation without knowledge though. Knowledge was power and without it you were vulnerable. When his weasel, who he called Red, had come back after delivering the message it had had nothing to report back. On the other hand he doubted very much that the muggle´s knowledge on a Patronus was very extensive.
He thought about what Potter or worse Weasley would say if they knew his Patronus was a weasel. They would definitely laugh their arses of, he shuddered at the thought. If he would succeed in getting Harry though it would all come to light and he had to prepare mentally for when the time would come.
He had been furious the first time he had been able to perform the charm and Red had come out from the tip of his wand.
After some time to think about it though he was not that disappointed. A weasel was too much like a ferret of course and it also was this unflattering red colour for sure. Draco as the practical and smart man he was though had seen his Patronus for what it was. A weasel may not be the most flattering animal in either appearance or reputation, but it was famous for its sharpness and quickness, which meant it did fit him rather well come to think of it, he had one of the sharpest minds where quick thinking was something he was proud to say he possessed. He was also nothing but resourceful and could spin almost any situation around so that it would suit him and his needs.
Plus what would a little humiliation do later when he was on the arm of the most powerful man of wizarding Britain, hell the wizarding world. Harry was going to restore both his name and reputation so what was one laugh at his expense. If he was honest with himself he also hoped Harry would give him a lot more, he wanted Harry on more than one level for more than practical reasons.
First step of the master plan was to show he had changed for real and to do that he had take the muggle cousin into Malfoy manor, if he thought of the end fulfilling this part of the plan would surely go without a hitch.
He stopped pacing, smirked to himself and left the room, he was ready to go and collect his perfect pawn in his perfect scheme.